Neetopk Keetopk My Friends, Your Friends
Sharing the River of Life
Native American Circles
We usually gather in a circle -A circle is unbroken. There is no beginning, no end. There are no sides. When people gather in a circle, each can see the others, face to face. No one is above another. No one is below. All are equal.
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The talking feather -
Over time it has been observed that humans may see more clearly when they take a step back. Passing a feather around the circle so that all may see who is speaking has been shown to facilitate conversation for the benefit of all.The talking feather also guarantees confidentiality.
Sacred Ceremony -A sacred ceremony is a formal honoring of an event occurring at a point in time. It has both physical and spiritual components. Ceremony promotes respect, unity, harmony and cooperation. See more ...
Gratitude -Being thankful, expressing gratitude raises a person's energy level, helps one feel better. Saying "thank you" when unpleasantly surprised improves the overall attitude and calms the mind.Gratitude also raises energy levels and is usually expressed in an initial round when passing the talking feather.We give thanks first thing upon waking and last thing before sleeping.
To see "the Words Before Else" go to WBAE
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The four directions -
There are 4 directions, four main points of a compass, four points of a cross.American indigenous use colors to indicate each direction. In the M'hican - Ojibwe tradition: yellow [o-zuh-wan] - east - land of the dawn, the rising sun; birth, spring, fire, physical red [mish-qua] - south - sun's warmth is strongest, growth; youth, summer, air, emotional black [moo-ka-day] - west - go into the night, setting sun, thunder, rain; maturity, fall,
water, mental white [wa-bish-ka] - north - land of snow, ice, cold; elders' wisdom, winter, earth, spiritual